


Healing

by DancerinDarkness



Series: Regret and Redemption [3]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Emotional Healing, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:27:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23508394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DancerinDarkness/pseuds/DancerinDarkness
Summary: The healing process is slow and can be difficult, but the end result is always worth it, especially when your family is always there.
Relationships: Nero's Mother/Vergil (Devil May Cry)
Series: Regret and Redemption [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686202
Comments: 27
Kudos: 33





	1. Catching Up

**Author's Note:**

> Hello~ Time for that follow up I promised. This first chapter is short, but the next one should be longer.

Ever since Alisha had been laid to rest for good, Vergil was much more willing to open up to Nero about her, as well as more willing to know more about Nero’s life in Fortuna. Though hearing about the life his son had without his mother made him rather wistful, he nonetheless wanted to make up for lost time as much as possible.

Which was why, when they had a few moments of rest at the Devil May Cry office, they took advantage of the time to catch up on some family bonding.

“You said you were raised by a foster family since you were nine,” Vergil said. “Did they treat you well?”

“Yeah,” Nero replied as he leaned against Dante’s desk. “They were old enough to be my grandparents, but they were really great people, and did pretty much everything parents would do for their kid.” Vergil smiled, happy that his son had some happiness in his childhood, but Nero could still see some regret in his father’s eyes. “Of course, I don’t think of my mom as less of a mom just because… you know,” he quickly added.

“Did you ever resent her growing up?” Vergil asked. Nero hesitated, for he didn’t want to anger his father, in addition to feeling guilty about his feelings about his parents prior to his last visit to Fortuna. “You don’t need to hide the truth; I just want to know.”

“Well… like I said, the caretakers weren’t shy about calling her a home wrecker, which of course led to all the other kids at the orphanage making fun of me by constantly telling me my mom was a slut. To tell the truth, I guess you could say I had a grudge against her; even though I never met her, I blamed her for abandoning me and giving me the shitty life I had back then because I thought that she didn’t care about me, all because of what those caretakers said about her. Then when I was taken in by my foster parents, I started not to think about her at all, since it didn’t really matter to me now that I had a family. ‘Her loss’, I thought. Of course, now I feel like shit for hating her back then, since now I know that she loved me a lot, and that she was put through the wringer for something she never did. If I could, I’d kick my younger self in the ass for listening to what everyone else said.”

“Don’t misplace your blame; I’m the one that left you there, remember?” Nero lightly chuckled at his father’s self-deprecation.

“I thought I told you to knock that self-hating bullshit off. Anyways, if there’s anyone to resent now, it’s everyone in Fortuna that shunned her. Not like it would do any good though; I don’t even know how many of them are still around. Still, I don’t know how she did it. How she could keep pushing forward despite everyone treating her like dirt, I mean.”

“It’s something I should have realized a long time ago,” Vergil replied with a smile. “The strength of her spirit made up for the weakness of her body. It was why I was so surprised when she broke down in tears and finally told me why she approached me; she was always too busy to be indulging in self-pity. Even so, I can’t in good conscience call it a moment of weakness; she must have held in her sorrow for a long time, and I was probably the first person she could safely confide in. If I wasn’t such a fool, I would have done the same with her.”

“Well, don’t keep thinking too much about your regrets; I’m sure she’d find a way to come back and knock some more sense into you if she did.” Vergil chuckled at Nero’s remark.

“You know your mother quite well, I see.”


	2. Happy Anniversary

Since she was given proper burial arrangements, Vergil never failed to visit Alisha’s resting place every week. Perhaps it was nothing more than his imagination, but whenever he visited, he felt as though he could feel her presence as sat under the willow tree, like she was sitting next to him and listening intently as he spoke. Even in the pouring rain, she never failed to appear.

Today was a particularly important day, one that he made certain not to miss: It was the day when they would have been married for twenty-five years. It was sunset when he visited, the sun a bright orange as it sunk into the horizon, and the clouds a soft shade of pink, the weather pleasantly cool. A bit cliche, perhaps, but a beautiful scene nonetheless. In his arms was a bundle of vibrant red roses, exactly twenty-five perfect blossoms, their stems tied together with a white satin ribbon.

“Happy anniversary, my love,” he said as he knelt down and placed the bouquet at her gravestone. “I know these will probably wilt within a week, but perhaps when they do, you’ll be able to properly enjoy them wherever you are.” He recalled the time he rather awkwardly gifted her a small bundle of lilies for her birthday, which shared the namesake of one of her favorite poems, as he was not exactly well-versed in romantic gestures, but she enthusiastically thanked him nonetheless and kissed him before placing them in a glass vase filled with water. Later that night, she teasingly said that she may have been the only woman in Fortuna to make a demon blush.

“Our son is engaged now,” he said. “Her name is Kyrie. She’s someone that you would have loved; she loves him more than anything, and she gives him strength, just as you did for me… if only I could have seen that at the time.”

He reached out his hand to touch the base of the gravestone, his fingers sinking into the blades of grass. “For a while, I tried not to think about what he inherited from you; the last thing I wanted to see were any reminders of my failure. But now every time I look at him, I see so much of what you gave him, his nobility, his intelligence… and most of all, his strength…” His fingers curled into the grass, gently tugging at the blades. “When I see him, I’m reminded of how you never let your sorrow stop you from fighting for what you wanted; even with his regrets, he endures, making sure he never lets go of what he cherishes. If only I could have done the same years go… but I know you don’t want me to think of what might have been. Still… how can I not, now that I’ve finally seen what I’ve been missing…”

He sighed as he released the grass, trying not to shed any tears. “My brother tests my patience every day, but I’m thankful that he’s so persistent; sometimes he gives me the push that I need to open up more. Though don’t tell him I said that; he’d never let me live it down.”

A small smile spread across his lips before he continued. “I often wonder is a part of you still by my side to this day. Even now I wonder if you’re speaking to me, even though I can’t hear you. Sometimes when I’m sitting alone, I can feel the weight of your head leaning against my shoulder, and when I try to sleep, I can feel you lying next to me and your warmth against my body. I suppose it’s foolish to believe such things, but I suppose there’s no harm in doing so if it brings some comfort…”

He reached his hand to touch the top of the headstone of the gravestone, at last letting his tears fall as he tightly gripped the cold stone. “I just miss you so much… And today of all days, I’m reminded of how you’re no longer here with me…” He continued to silently weep, tears rolling down his cheeks as his mind wandered to memories long since passed. Then he heard footsteps slowly approach behind him.

“Hey,” Nero’s voice said. “I promise I haven’t been eavesdropping; I just got here. I thought it might be nice to visit since you said today’s your anniversary, but I can leave until you’re done if you want.”

“No,” Vergil replied as he quickly wiped away his tears. “Please… I’m sure she’d be happy if you joined.” Nero slowly knelt down by his father’s side.

“Hey, Mom,” he said. “I’m sure Dad told you about me and Kyrie getting engaged. I wish you could have met her, but I’m sure you already know how great she is.” He smiled as his gaze met the bouquet of roses. “Twenty-five years, huh? Guess I’ve got a lot to live up to. Don’t know how I’ll match your standards, but I’ll try…”

His hand gently reached the top of the gravestone. “I know I barely got to know you, but I still miss you a lot. You were really someone amazing. I mean, who else could have gotten my dad to fall in love with someone? So thanks for sharing your memories with me… I’ll try to keep making you proud.” He patted the gravestone a few times before standing to his feet, his father joining him.

“We should leave now,” Vergil said. “It’ll be dark soon.”

“Yeah, let’s go,” Nero replied before making his way down the hill. Vergil smiled at her one last time before following his son, the draping branches swaying gently behind them.


	3. Favorites

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's something just a bit more lighthearted this time.

“So what were some of Mom’s favorites?” Nero asked as sat on the couch of the Devil May Cry headquarters. While they were waiting for the next call, Dante was busy flipping through the immense amount of documents that were cluttered on his desk, trying to find the one he needed that he said that he swore he left under _that_ pile.

“What do you mean?” Vergil replied.

“I mean, what was her, say, favorite color, or favorite book?”

“Well… I do remember her saying that her favorite color was lavender, though her favorite flowers were lilies. She told me that her favorite book was _Jane Eyre_.”

“So she was a nerd like you?” Dante quipped as he searched his desk drawers. Nero tried not to laugh when he saw the way his father’s brow furrowed at Dante’s remark.

“She was very cultured and intelligent,” Vergil responded with indignation. “Something that you could afford to gain.”

“Whatever. At least she was pretty to go with it, which is more than I can say about you.” Vergil simply huffed at his brother’s teasing.

“You mentioned that she liked strawberries,” Nero added.

“Now _that_ sounds like my kind of girl,” Dante said.

“I hate to disappoint you, brother, but she didn’t enjoy the strawberry ice cream you indulge yourself in.” At that moment, Dante reacted as though someone had told him he was in desperate need of a haircut.

“ _What?_ Who the hell doesn’t like strawberry ice cream? That shit’s the best.”

“My wife, for one. And for another, she didn’t care much for ice cream in general, save for vanilla. It usually felt too heavy in her stomach, she said. She also had a distaste for cherries, and she would have a strawberry with her vanilla ice cream instead.”

“Yeesh… what kind of weirdo did you marry? It’s a miracle your son came out as normal as he did.”

“Very funny.”

“All right, how about anything she did for fun?” Nero asked next.

“She liked to knit in her spare time, something she did a lot when she was pregnant. She told me she regretted not being very good at it, but I begged to differ. She also often read to relax.”

“Who could’ve guessed that?” Dante said.

"So how about her favorite things about you?” Nero asked. Vergil looked as though he was about to say something, until he realized exactly what his son asked of him.

“I… I never really thought about it,” he replied.

“Well, I’m sure she must have said something that she liked about you.” Vergil paused for a moment, trying to recall any mentions of such in his memories.

“I remember that she told me she loved that I was there,” he finally answered. “That there was someone else in her life again besides just herself. She also said that she loved how much I cared for her, even though she sometimes asked me to not worry so much.”

“Anything else?” Nero asked.

“She called my eyes ‘beautiful’, and said that my hair was soft. She often rubbed her fingers through my hair when she was near. And… she often told me that she loved me. But I don’t remember if I told her the same as often as she did.”

“Well… even if you didn’t, I’m sure she knew. I mean, from what I saw, you sure showed her a lot. But I’m sure that no matter how many times you did tell her, it was more than enough and then some.”

“Perhaps… but I would have liked to have told her more.”

“Hey, what did we say about regrets?” Dante said as he looked through his stack of papers one more time. “Found it!”

The missing document was there all right, but it was a crinkled mess, and it had a distinct coffee stain in the shape of a ring in the center.

“I don’t think we can send that,” Nero said.

“Oh, come on, I’m sure they’ve seen worse.” He quickly scribbled his name on the line at the bottom. “There!” Vergil shook his head in disapproval. “Don’t give me that look; I bet Alisha would have wanted you to treat your brother with more respect.”

“I highly doubt that,” Vergil replied. “She’d probably be just as disappointed in your clutter as I am.”

“Didn’t you say she couldn’t find the boots she needed one time because she threw them all in a pile in the closest?” Nero asked. Dante gave a smug grin, but Vergil didn’t look displeased.

“Since you two seem to know so much about her,” he said, “then perhaps you won’t mind if I shared a few more memories. I don’t believe I told you about the time she persuaded me to come to bed when I was up all night researching. She started by-“

Vergil didn’t have the chance to say more because his brother yelled “Don’t you fucking dare!”

Neither Dante nor Nero made any more comments about Alisha that could be used against Vergil that day. Still, after seeing how effective that tactic was, Vergil made a note to keep it in mind for next time.


	4. Dream of Me

_It was a warm afternoon at the lake that day; the sun was shining, the flowers were in full bloom, and a gentle breeze wafted through the air. On this particular day, Vergil sat with his back relaxed against the trunk of the willow tree so that he was overlooking the sparkling waters. By his side was his wife, who lovingly rested her head against his shoulder as he held her hand. On the opposite side of the tree, her grave remained, but neither one of them found it strange as they enjoyed the peaceful afternoon._

_“I met your mother the other day,” Alisha said. “She’s wonderful; she told me that she was happy that you’re able to find joy in your life again with your family.”_

_“I’m glad that you could become friends,” he replied._ _"I always imagined you would have gotten along well."  
_

_“I’m happy too; you’ve already done so much to make up for lost time. I always knew that you’d find your way again.”_

_“It’s not always easy; not a day goes by when I don’t think of you.”_

_“I know. It’s not easy for me either, to see the wonderful life you’re building, but not truly being able to be a part of it. But remember that you don’t need to hide your struggles; your family is more than willing to help you during this journey.” She adjusted herself so that she could be closer to him. “I glad you’ve been telling your brother and our son more stories about me; I gave Nero some of my most treasured memories, but I knew I couldn’t share them all. Besides, I was hoping that you could be the one to share a few with him so that you could heal. Though I do hope you’re not serious when you threaten to tell them about some of our more intimate moments.” She lightly chuckled at her last sentence._

_“No,” he replied with a small smile. “Some memories are meant to be kept just between the two of us.” She smiled when she felt him kiss the crown of her head._

_“What else shall we do today?” she asked as she gazed out at the lake. “It’s beautiful this afternoon; we shouldn’t waste it.”_

_“Why don’t we just stay here,” he replied as his eyelids fell shut. “Let’s just enjoy each other’s company.”_

_“Yes… that sounds perfect. Why don’t you lay your head in my lap? It’s something that I’ve been missing a lot lately.”_

_He adjusted his position so that he was laying on his back against the grass, and his head resting at her legs. He closed his eyes again as he felt her slender fingers gently comb through his hair, and he dozed off as he listened to her soft humming…_

* * *

No longer did Vergil dread dreams of her; though when they parted he always wished his time could have been longer, he knew that there would always be another dream another night. He could not say for sure if what he saw in his sleep was real or imaginary, but it brought him comfort nonetheless, and it was all that mattered to him. 


	5. Heart to Heart

This evening, the twins were invited to Nero and Kyrie’s home for dinner. It was also a chance for Vergil to meet the couple’s foster children, Julio, Kyle, and Carlos. He could not remember the last time he had any sort of “family get together”, and he was noticeably stiffer than usual, despite his brother telling him to relax a bit.

Dante gave three solid knocks on the door. A few seconds later it flew open, and he was immediately tackled by three small humans, all of who looked less than ten years of age. They were speaking quite loudly all at once, each trying to be the center of his attention.

“Whoa, guys, easy now,” Dante said with a laugh as he pried them off of him. They quieted down as soon as Dante stood up straight again, but their smiles faded when their gazes met his brother. They looked nervous and a bit afraid, and they even took a few steps behind Dante, apprehensive of this new stranger. It made Vergil feel a bit awkward to say the least, but his brother simply knelt down and smiled.

“It’s okay,” he said in a reassuring voice as he gently pushed the children forward. “This is my brother, Vergil. Verge, this is Julio, Kyle, and Carlos.”

The three of them slowly approached him, but they still looked very cautious of him. He admitted that he probably looked quite intimidating to these children. Perhaps if he was at their level…

He slowly lowered himself to one knee, imitating his brother's stance, and extended his hand to them. A bit formal, perhaps, but that was the best idea he had at the moment. Dante encouraged the children to approach Vergil, to which they warily complied. When he shook the child called Carlos’s hand was and was shown to not be a threat, the other two followed, and the twins finally entered the house.

“See, you’re a natural with kids,” Dante said. Vergil knew that wasn’t true, but he appreciated the gesture. The truth was, for a long time he did not exactly have a high opinion of children; they reminded him of when he was at his weakest, a helpless thing who couldn’t protect the one he loved most. But when Alisha had fallen pregnant, he tried to put those feelings aside for her, for she was overjoyed when she knew that he would stay with her. Despite her pregnancy taking quite the toll on her body, she was elated knowing that she was going to have his child, and she smiled whenever she saw children pass her way, knowing that she would have that to look forward to... if only her hopes could have come to fruition.

Nero and Kyrie greeted the two of them, and invited them to have a seat on the sofa as they finished dinner preparations. Perhaps in another life, Vergil and his wife would be the one to cook dinner for their son and his fiancée to celebrate their engagement. But before that, there would probably be many more family dinners with just the three of them, watching as their son grew into a man…

“Are you gonna wear a ring like that?” Julio asked Nero as he pointed to the silver ring on Vergil’s left hand.

“That’s right,” Nero replied with a smile. “Kyrie and I are going to wear those so that everyone knows we’re married.”

“Are you an’ Kyrie gonna have a baby?” Kyle asked. The noise Nero made vaguely sounded as though he was choking on the air he was supposed to be breathing.

“N-No,” he replied with a small chuckle. “What made you think that?”

“You said that your mama an’ papa got married because they were gonna have you when you were a baby.”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t always end up like that; getting married is what two people do when they love each other. There isn’t always a baby.”

“Oh…”

It seemed his son talked to them about the circumstances of his parents’ marriage. At least he was honest and didn’t try to sugar coat it. Already he was proving himself to be more responsible than his father ever was…

Vergil didn’t exactly give Alisha a romantic proposal, as so many women seemed to anticipate. While marrying her was something he had as an eventual goal once she was out of Fortuna, she was the one that brought it up to him for the sake of their child. He wasn't even able to get her an engagement ring. He promised to make it up to her when they were in a better situation, but she told him that none of that mattered so long as they were together.

Their ceremony was small, and he wore her father’s formal suit while she had her mother’s lace veil pinned into her hair. She was hesitant to wear it at first, wondering if it was wrong to do so given the circumstances of their marriage. But he assured her that she should wear it if that was what she wished, and that anyone who would object to it wasn’t worth paying attention to.

Ten minutes later, dinner was served, and everyone was arranged around the dining room table. How strange that after all the distress he had caused, his family was willing to give him a second chance with open arms. While things weren’t without their trouble points by any means, usually with his son calling him a “stubborn asshole”, most of the time things were surprisingly civil. Of course, if he had the same strength his wife had, the strength that he was unaware of for far too long, he might have been able to carry on without her, and he could have had a small piece of the life they planned together. There would have been no need for forgiveness, for family tension, for trying to find redemption…

“Hey, Verge,” Dante said. “You still with us, bro?”

“Y-Yes?” Vergil quickly replied.

“You’ve been staring off into space; we thought you were possessed.”

“Sorry. What were you saying?”

Throughout their meal, Vergil tried to stay focused on the conversations, though he still didn’t speak much. When they were finished, he offered to help with cleaning the dishes. As he placed the last glass into the sink, he saw Kyrie approach him.

“You’ve been awfully quiet tonight,” she said. “Is everything all right?”

“I’m fine,” he replied. “I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Were you thinking about her?” Vergil remained silent. Was it that obvious? “You don’t need to hide it, you know; it’s good to talk about her.”

“You don’t need to burden yourself with me.” When he was about to turn the water on, she gently grasped his hand.

“Vergil, talking to your family about your troubles isn’t a burden; it’s just what families do.”

She smiled before continuing. “My brother was quite hard-headed and a no-nonsense kind of person. But what most people didn’t see was just how kind and caring he was. Whenever something was bothering me, I could always go to him no matter what it was. Even if it was something silly, he would always listen to everything I had to say, and he would always give me the best advice. And then afterwards, he would make sure everything was okay.”

Her smile remained, though now there was a hint of sadness. “I think about him every day… Do you do the same with your wife?”

“Not a day goes by when I don’t think of her…” Vergil replied.

“I can imagine; Nero told me all about her. She seemed like a wonderful person.” His lips turned slightly upwards.

“More than that. But there are no words that could properly describe her.” She paused for a moment before speaking again.

“He also told me about the horrible things they did to her… which is why I wanted to tell you that the place where she was locked up was shut down several years ago.”

“Why is that?”

“Someone found a mass grave filled with the remains of the girls that had died under the nuns’ ‘care’. After that, they could no longer hide the abuse they put those young women through, and the public outrage forced the Order to shut the home down, and many of the nuns left the convent out of shame. I know it’s a dark thing to talk about, but I still thought it was something you should know.”

“Yes… now no one will have to suffer as she did ever again…” He supposed it wasn’t a surprise that there were girls who died while in imprisonment, but it was disturbing to hear nonetheless, especially knowing that Alisha could have very well been one of those women carelessly thrown into a pit, especially given her health. Still, had she been here, she probably would have been as relieved as he was, that the place that had been the source of so many of her nightmares was finally no more.

“Well, anyways,” Kyrie continued. “I hope you’ll be willing to tell me more about her; Nero’s already told me a lot, but I want to hear some more from you.” He smiled again before finally turning the handle of the sink.

“Of course.”


	6. A Little Problem

Nero had a problem. A really embarrassing problem. But with his problem being in regards to his demonic heritage, he reluctantly asked his uncle for advice. Unfortunately, Dante couldn’t relate to his nephew’s issue.

“Trying asking your father,” he said.

“No way,” Nero quickly replied. “I am _not_ asking him about… _that_.”

“Well, shit, kid, I don’t know what else to tell you. I know it’s embarrassing, but you should probably just suck it up it’s really bothering you.”

Nero sighed in frustration. The last thing he wanted to talk about with his estranged father was his “personal” issues, but it looks like he didn’t have a choice. Maybe it shouldn’t have bothered him as much as it did, but he also wanted to give Kyrie peace of mind, and hopefully let her know that it was nothing to worry about. So when he saw his father sitting at his desk alone, book in hand, he took a deep breath and approached him.

“Hey,” he said. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“What is it?” Vergil replied. Nero opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, and he felt like scurrying away like an insect under the floorboards. Damn it, why does this shit always happen to him? “Well?”

“I was, uh, wondering if…” Nero said as he avoided eye contact with his father, and his face was growing increasing redder. He took another deep breath before continuing. “I was wonder if you’ve ever went into your Devil Trigger form while being, er, ‘intimate’ with my mom.”

Vergil nearly dropped the book he was reading into his lap as his eyes widened in pure shock. Surely his son hadn’t asked him that. Surely he must have misheard him…

“Come again?” Vergil finally said.

“Damn it, don’t make me say it twice!”

An awkward silence lingered between the two of them as both of their faces were becoming more flushed by the second. Vergil’s eyes darted to the picture of him and his wife on his desk, hoping that she would somehow grant him wisdom from beyond. But alas, she was silent.

“May I ask why you wish to know?” he finally replied.

“Well, see, the other day, that happened between me and Kyrie, and it freaked the both of us out. So I was wondering if you had any, uh, experience with that, and if you had any advice on how to handle it.” _I cannot believe I’m doing this…_

In truth, he could actually relate to his son’s problem: One night, when he and Alisha were both feeling particularly “needy”, he had gotten a bit carried away and transformed in the middle of intercourse. She was understandably startled, and he stopped immediately and reverted back to his human form. But the only response he gave to his son was a simple “yes”.

“Oh…” Nero responded with a bit of surprise. “Uh… did everything work out okay after that?” 

“Well, she did request that we… continue after the incident. And…” Vergil took a hard swallow before he continued. “…she also requested that I revert back to that form before we did.”

At this point, both of their faces were as red as Dante’s coat. When Nero decided to ask his father for some advice for his problem, the last things he was expecting was for him to find out about his mom’s… preferences. He probably could have lived without that knowledge, but at least he knew that she made it out of that situation unharmed. And then some.

“Well…” Nero finally said. “That’s… good to know. So if that happens, that there’s nothing wrong?”

“As far as I’m aware, no. Though I would advise you to be… cautious.”

“Right… well, uh, thanks. I’ll be sure to tell Kyrie that everything’s all right then…” Nero quickly scurried out of the building, feeling as though if he stayed even a minute longer he’d die of embarrassment.

Vergil sighed as he looked once more towards the photo on his desk. Wherever Alisha was, she’s probably hiding her face in her hands humiliation. Not that he’d blame her, considering what he just disclosed to their son. But he hoped she would forgive him, since the only reason he told Nero of this was to give him and his fiancée some reassurance.

At least he didn’t tell his son that after he and Alisha had finished that night, she asked him if he would be willing to revert to his Devil Trigger form again another time.


End file.
